Cap liner



` April 4, 1967 J. v. BALINT X 3,312,365

GAP LINER Filed Aug. '7, 1963 INVENTOR. JOHN MEAL/N7 United States Patent O 3,312,365 CAP LINER John V. Balint, Mahtomedi, Minn., assignor to Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 7, 1963, Ser. No. 300,461 2 Claims. (Cl. 21S-7) This invention provides a new proofofpurchase item to accompany a container of goods, and to be used by the consumer in accepting offers of premiums, price-reduction and the like by the seller.

Proof-of-purchase items used in the past, including labels on the container, loose items inside the container, and container closures such as box-tops or even bottle caps, have not proved wholly satisfactory. Labels, which have been commonly used for proof-of-purchase purposes, serve other functions on the container, so that containers from which t-he labels have been removed appear bare, do not have an identification of the goods, and do not display the sellers trademark. By the terms of some offers, the purchaser may trim a portion of the label for submission to the seller, but this is a nuisance to the purchaser. Another disadvantage is that removal of the label from the container by the purchaser is usually somewhat time consuming, and an unsightly, torn fragment may be left behind. In the latter case the portion returned to the seller may be so fragmentary as to be of questionable validity. Labels are also subject to removal and misuse before sale of the container. As to loose proof-of-purchase items mixed with the goods, they are often located and removed only with some inconvenience, and cannot be used at all in containers with liquid contents. Box tops and bottle caps have the disadvantage of large size, and Ibox tops are not easily separated from the box. Also the submission to the seller of container closures usually needs to be delayed until the containers goods have been fully used.

By this invention a small, low-cost, distinctive proofof-purchase article that is inside the container but easily discovered, removed and conveniently used by the consumer is provided as a liner adhered to the inside surface of container closures. The liner is applied simply by the producer to an ordinary closure such as a screw cap and its removal by the purchaser is made especially easy. The liner is within the container and hidden from view until the container is opened, yet is not loose within the container. Further, pplicants liner in a preferred form is especially adapter'1 or convenient and secure transmittal by mail, and is resistant to the conditions accompanying pasteurization of the container in which it is placed.

The liner is typically removably adhered to a container closure on an inner surface thereof adapted to cover a container opening. In general comprising a thin, flat article, the liner has one surface with pressure sensitive adhesive and non-adhesive areas by which it is adhered -to the container closure. The non-adhesive area includes an edge portion of the liners surface to facilitate removal of the liner from the container closure.

In a preferred embodiment the liner is made as a thin, circular disc coated on one surface with pressure sensitive adhesive. The non-adhesive area comprises a narrow strip, which may be colored to call attention to the liner, extending from one edge of the surface to an opposite edge of the surface and formed by a non-adhesive layer of plastic film, paper, or the like adhered over part of the coated adhesive surface. Both the disc and the nonadhesive layer may be plastic films that resist high temperature and moisture conditions.

A preferred form of proof-of-purchase liner is illustrated in the drawing wherein,

3,3123 65 Patented Apr. 4, 1967 FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a bottle cap to which the liner is adhered and FIGURE 2 is an enlarged section along the line 2 2 of FIGURE 1.

/ FIGURE 1 illustrates a lug cap or lid 10 that is twisted on or off the bottle or container it covers. An inner surface 11 of the cap` is coated around the edge with a layer 12 against which the lip of the container, eg. jar, bottle, etc., seals upon tightening the cap. A proofof-purchase liner 14 is centrally adhered on the inner surface 11 and includes a transparent, circular disc 15,

mailed to the seller.

preferably a plastic film, coated over all of one surface with a layer 16 of pressure sensitive adhesive. A narrow strip 18, preferably also a plastic lm, is attached over -a central area of the adhesive surface and extends from one edge of the disc 15 to the opposite edge. The strip 18, which may be attractively colored, provides an area across the adhesive face of the liner from edge to edge which does not adhere to the cap inner surface 11, thereby facilitating removal of the liner from the cap. As it is used commercially, the disc 15 will normally carry printed matter (not illustrated), such as instructions or terms of an offer made to the consumer. When colored, the strip 1S aids in distinguishing the proof-of-purchase liner, attracting the consumer to the offer printed on the liner.

.inasmuch as the liner is smaller than the container opening and centrally mounted on the cap, it will not interfere with the seal formed by the sealing layer 12 against the lip of the container to which the cap is applied. The liner is out of the way against the inner surface 11 of the cap-usually out of reach of the containers contents-and immediately exposed to the consumer for his discovery and use upon removal of the cap. Since the liner is flush against the cap surface 11 with only a quite narrow unadhered area, the contents of the container, in case of overfilling or tilting a container lled with lluent contents, cannot normally penetrate under the liner. The ease with which the liner is removed because of the nonadhesive area provided by the strip- 18 permits the plastic lrn disc 1S to be quite thin (as thin or even thinner than l mil for polyethylene terephthalate) without danger of its tearing. In addition, stronger adhesives can be used assuring that the liner will remain adhered throughout handling and processing of the container and contents. Upon removal of the disc 15 from the cap, it may be simply adhered by pressure to a letter, postcard, etc., and

For food uses, the materials forming the liner are chosen from those approved by the Food and Drug Administration. In addition, the liners composition is preferably such that it can withstand high temperatures, e.g. sterilizing temperatures, and exposure to moisture.

For certain uses a paper or paper board liner would be suitable in place of inert plastic films. Other possible variations in the design of the liner include coating a narrow strip of paint or other non-adhesive covering on the liner surface, or merely leaving an adhesive-free strip area on the liner surface instead of adhering a strip of plastic film.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a container closure having an inner surface Iadapted to cover a container opening, and a proof-of-purchase liner comprising a thin flexible sheet coated on one surface with pressure-sensitive adhesive, a thin flexible elongated non-adhesive layer having only a small fraction of the width of said sheet adhered across the s-heets adhesive surface, extending substantially perpendicularly from one edge to an opposite edge, the liner being adhered by the adhesive centrally on the inner surface of the closure, and the liner being removed by lifting the edge portion covered by said non-adhesive layer and pulling the liner from the closure whereupon it may be attached Iby pressure to a letter and returned to the seller.

2. yIn combi-nation, a container closure having an inner surface adapted to form a sealing contact with the lip of a container and to cover the container opening, a sealing layer formed on a peripheral area of the inner surface including the Iarea of contact with the lip, and a proof-ofpurcha'se liner comprising a thin flexible light-transmissive circular disc coated on one of its surfaces with pressuresensitive adhesive, a thin flexible elongated non-adhesive layer colored differently from the disc and hav-ing a Width that is on-ly a small fraction of the diameter of said disc adhered across the ldiscss adhesive surface from one edge to an opposite edge, the liner being adhered by the adhesive centrally on the inner surface of the closure within 15 an area bounded by the sealing layer, land the liner being removed by lifting the edge portion covered fby said nonadhesive layer and pullingithe Iliner from the closure whereupon it may be attached by pressure to a letter and returned to the seller.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 87,899 8/ 1897 Williams. 1,426,5 69 8/ 1922 Ingram. 1,711,469 4/ 1927 Stratford'. 2,565,509 8/ 1951 Marcin. 2,603,899 7'/1952 Leander. 2,966,177 8/ 1961 Sproull et al.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRE'IT, Examiner.

R. PESHOCK, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A CONTAINER CLOSURE HAVING AN INNER SURFACE ADAPTED TO COVER A CONTAINER OPENING, AND A PROOF-OF-PURCHASE LINER COMPRISING A THIN FLEXIBLE SHEET COATED ON ONE SURFACE WITH PRESSURE-SENSITIVE ADHESIVE, A THIN FLEXIBLE ELONGATED NON-ADHESIVE LAYER HAVING ONLY A SMALL FRACTION OF THE WIDTH OF SAID SHEET ADHERED ACROSS THE SHEET''S ADHESIVE SURFACE, EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULARLY FROM ONE EDGE TO AN OPPOSITE EDGE, THE LINER BEING ADHERED BY THE ADHESIVE CENTRALLY ON THE INNER SURFACE OF THE CLOSURE, AND THE LINER BEING REMOVED BY LIFTING THE EDGE PORTION COVERED BY SAID NON-ADHESIVE LAYER AND PULLING THE LINER FROM THE CLOSURE WHEREUPON IT MAY BE ATTACHED BY PRESSURE TO A LETTER AND RETURNED TO THE SELLER. 